White House Again Warns Against New Iran Sanctions

The White House has again warned U.S. lawmakers against new sanctions on Iran, saying they could undermine the interim nuclear accord between Tehran and world powers.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said approving fresh sanctions, even if they won’t take effect for months, could lead Iran to think Washington negotiated in “bad faith.”

"If we pass sanctions now, even with a deferred trigger, which has been discussed, the Iranians and likely our international partners will see us as having negotiated in bad faith and this would have a bearing on our core sanctions architecture," Carney said.

Iran and six world powers agreed last month to a deal in which parts of Iran’s nuclear program will be curbed.

In return, Iran receives limited sanctions relief.

The deal has been criticized by many Republicans and some within Obama's own Democratic Party.

The agreement has been given a timeframe of six months so that Iran and the world powers -- the United States, Russia, France, Germany, China, and Britain -- will have time to negotiate what would be envisioned as a more permanent settlement.